Obesity is directly associated with disorders such as osteoarthritis (especially in the hips) sciatica, varicose veins, thromboembolism, ventral and hiatal hernias, hypertension, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. All of these conditions can be ameliorated by treatment of obesity, provided the weight loss is significant and enduring.
The known art of treating obesity includes behavioral strategies, various different pharmaceutical interventions and surgery.
One problem in the known art of behavioral strategies is patient compliance. Extremely high levels of patient compliance over a long period of time are required to produce a significant weight loss.
Problems in the known art of pharmaceutical intervention include drug dependence and side effects. Treatment with amphetamine analogs requires habitual use of an addictive drug to produce a significant weight loss. Treatment with drugs such dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine is frequently associated with primary pulmonary hypertension and cardiac valve abnormalities. Drugs such as sibutramine cause a substantial increase in blood pressure in a large number of patients.
The known art of surgical treatment of obesity includes operative procedures such as end-to-end anastomosis of about 38 cm of proximal jejunum to 10 cm of terminal ileum and other variants of jejunoileal manipulation. While such procedures are extremely effective, the overall rates of surgical mortality and associated hepatic dysfunction are so high that this treatment is only indicated for younger patients who are morbidly obese.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a method and system for treatment of obesity that produces reasonably rapid weight loss, long term results, low surgical mortality, few side effects and can be performed under local anesthesia. This advantage is achieved is an embodiment of an invention in which a balloon bearing an array of electrodes is deployed in the stomach and upper duodenum. This device maps and ablates nerves in these tissues and causes shrinkage of stomach muscle by creating a pattern of thermal lesions. Weight control is achieved by creating a sense of satiety in the patient. This can be achieved by direct modulation of nerves responsible for the sensation of hunger or by inhibiting the let-down reflex of the stomach muscles that serves as a precursor to digestion.